Boeing creates phone to keep secrets top secret

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Boeing has launched its first smartphone, the Boeing Black, but you probably won't be able to get your hands on it.

The futuristic handset takes a security approach, rather than trying to compete with the likes of Samsung, Apple or HTC. The company - known for making large aircraft, built the Black to not only encrypt phone calls, but also self-destruct and delete all data if it were to get into the wrong hands.

The Black smartphone, running an undefined version of Android, features a 4.3-inch 960 × 540 display, LTE, a dual-core 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor, Bluetooth 2.1 and SD expandability. It's a project that's been worked on by Boeing for three years behind closed doors, and can connect with biometric sensors or satellites, and use solar power to extend battery life.

Essentially, it's a phone for government officials that can be bought directly through Boeing representatives. It won't be a phone you can just stroll into your local Best Buy or Carphone Warehouse to buy. A lot of details about the smartphone's design are classified, given its security nature.

The launch of the Black could mean havoc for BlackBerry, which holds a dominant position for US government contracts. Boeing may be working to take some of those contracts, as a spokesman told Reuters it saw "a need for our customers in a certain market space".

A similar handset called the Blackphone from SGP Technologies is launching this summer for consumers. It features Android software that has been modified to block out cross-sharing of data and even making sure your calls are encrypted up to the point of hitting the phone network.